Local Legends: Rob Muddyman - Venue Manager at Penny Blue
Today's interview is with Local Legend Rob Muddyman. Rob is the Venue Manager at Penny Blue, a pioneer craft beer venue. It has long been an oasis for craft beer drinkers in Melbourne's CBD and happens to be a and favourite of A Local Beer.
Thanks for the interview Rob, so how did you get into the industry?
I pretty much fell into the industry really, I started in the kitchen and worked my way up with training from a friend who was an encyclopaedia of beer knowledge. I’ve been at Penny Blue for a few years now.
Sounds like a good friend to have! Tell us a little about Penny Blue. How it started and how has it has evolved?
Penny Blue is a small boutique craft beer pub with a focus on showcasing independent breweries and their beers. We have been around for over 10 years now. We started out very small and have been continuing to grow as the craft beer scene grows with us. The landscape has definitely changed a lot since we first started.
A lot of changes I'm sure. Well I mean A Local Beer wasn't on the scene 10 years ago! Unfortunately, we are in a tough spot again in Melbourne, How has COVID-19 affected your business?
COVID-19 has certainly affected us and we had to adjust the business accordingly. We received a lot of help from breweries and having a strong customer base on Untappd, Facebook and Instagram have helped. We are constantly updating on these platforms. With this new lockdown, unfortunately, we will be shutting down for the next few weeks but will definitely be back.
Well we can’t wait to head down for a drink when you do. How many beers are you stocking at the moment and how do you choose which beers to stock?
Myself, staff and customers get to choose as long as it’s independent we will give it a shot on the tap or shelves. We currently stock approximately 185 different craft beers.
Just quietly one of the few locations stocking A Local Beer's brand new Runaway IPA as well. What beers/breweries are you enjoying at the moment?
Westside Ales, Fixation, Wolf Of The Willows, Modus Operandi, too many beers to mention! They all have been fantastic though.
Well it must be a tough job tasting all those beers that come in but you are definitely the man for the job. Thanks for your time!
Penny Blue is located at 2 Driver Lane, Melbourne CBD. Check them out when they re-open and give them a follow on their socials on
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pennybluebar/?ref=br_rs